Moore County recruits military families

Story by Johanna Royo

Friday

Mar 28, 2014 at 12:01 AMMar 28, 2014 at 2:06 PM

Moore County wants more military. And it isn't shy about it.

"We're saying we want you. We want your talents. We want your intellectual capital. And your family," said Pat Corso, executive director of Moore County Partners in Progress. Corso is one of those leading the charge.

It's no secret that retirees (including military) are attracted to the golf courses of Pinehurst, Southern Pines and Aberdeen. And Moore is not the first county to roll out the welcome mat for military families.

But leaders here are using some novel incentives. Child care and other perks at the storied Pinehurst resort. A series of promotional videos targeting soldiers and their families. And a new website designed for young retirees embarking on second careers.

Already moving

There are indications that Moore County is already in the midst of a military migration. According to records from the Moore County Schools, just shy of 10 percent of students come from a military family. Not a huge number, but that's a 40 percent increase in five years. And some schools have a much higher concentration of military students. At Sandhills Farm Life Elementary School in Whispering Pines, for example, 30 percent of the student body is military.

Teresa Taylor assists students using veterans benefits at Sandhills Community College. She says the number of applications to use those benefits has doubled in the past six years.

Residents say bars and restaurants on a Friday night are filled with soldiers and military families and so are their neighborhoods.

Ashley Cross and her husband bought a house in Harnett County when he was assigned to Fort Bragg three years ago. They moved back in January. But less than a month after unpacking, the couple decided to look for another house. Cross' husband was out of town for training. "I called him Friday and said, 'I think we need to consider moving.' " In less than a week, they put in an offer on a house in Aberdeen. Cross says they still love their first house, just not the location anymore. She says Moore County is a better fit for their family with more and closer preschool choices, better access to parks and pools, family-friendly neighborhoods and less crime and traffic. She says the commute for her husband will be about the same, and he feels better about the family being out of their current neighborhood.

According to community leaders, there is a misperception that Moore County is too expensive for younger military families. Cross says her husband's Basic House Allowance as a captain with dependents will more than cover the new mortgage and utilities.

You, too, can golf at Pinehurst

"In the last 12 months, we've shifted gears and are trying to integrate a new demographic to the club," said Jeff Shepard, general manager at Pinehurst Country Club. "We're focusing on younger families."

And the club is putting its money where its sweeping green mouth is. Leaders recently restructured membership options; initiation fees now start at $10,000 and new members could pay only half that amount if purchasing property from a current member. Social membership dues are $95 a month, which includes access to Lake Pinehurst, six swimming pools, a fitness center, the country club and, key for parents of young kids, Saturday night child care with kids' dinner included, for $10.

Membership levels do go up in price from there, but all levels are discounted 50 percent when transferred with a Pinehurst Village property.

The resort isn't the only organization in the "micropolitan" of Moore County that is offering enticements in the areas that matter most to young families.

A task force studying county school growth is proposing a bond issue to build several new elementary schools, a middle school and a charter high school. The district academically performs better than state averages. A nonprofit group, AC Sandhills, organizes soccer, girls' lacrosse, volleyball and triathlon training for 3,000, mostly youth, in Moore County. Steady growth has filled all the available playing spaces. Plans for a new soccer and lacrosse complex are also in the works.

Why are they recruiting?

There's an important reason community leaders are aggressively pursuing young families

"The number one priority is to replace ourselves," Corso says.

The recession hit retirees across the country hard, he said. Gone are the days when potential transplants could sell their home in the Northeast for three times what they paid, buy a new one on the golf course and put money in the bank. Also, many retirees are working longer.

Community leaders are recruiting four groups: relocators, returnees, retirees and the military.

Until now, word of mouth has driven the increasing migration, but a partnership of community stakeholders and business leaders called Moore Forward has launched a campaign called Moore Alive. They are hoping to intercept outside interest generated by this summer's U.S. Open double-header in Pinehurst with a website, promotional videos and other marketing initiatives.

Older people like it

Pat Corso says if there are current residents who don't want lots of young families moving in, he hasn't found them.

They don't see military families as transient, he said. "What I hear constantly is the value that you bring, the potential that you have."

Jeff Shepard said older members of Pinehurst Country Club are embracing the new families.

"They look at (the families) and say, 'This is great.' "

Mike Ratkowski is a co-owner and founder of Railhouse Brewery in Aberdeen. He's also a former soldier. The restaurant and brewery is a popular spot for hail and farewells, retirement ceremonies and other military social events. Ratkowski says business has quadrupled in the past three years, much of it military. But not all his military customers are young. Many older residents are also veterans. Ratkowski says they keep the music low to encourage the connections that just seem to happen between retirees who served and the young men and women who are making a career of serving now.

"You can see the mutual respect," he said.

Corso says military families are uniquely similar to the residents who come looking for golf or warm weather or just a quiet spot to relax.

"We're a lot of folks from different places, too."

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